Thursday, June 26, 2008

White & Transparent Things

Every now and then I get a question that I think everyone would benefit from the answer. Here's one I got recently. Just so everyone knows, I was NOT planning on posting anything else about the Colorless blender today, I really was going to move on to talking about the differences between markers, but this question just fit in too perfectly with this week's earlier posts.

Q. I have several of the sketch copic markers but I need one that will show white on white cardstock or a color that will look white or 2 colors that will make a wedding dress or image like that look white. Can you help me??? I just don't know which one to buy. Any help I would so love to have that you could give me thanks so much and thanks for such great markers !!!! I love them

I didn't have a wedding dress stamp, so I drew an example to show you what I mean. First, you need to figure out the feel of the card. What papers are you going to accent with? what do you want it to feel like?

1. What tone of white?Cool, crisp, clean white tends to have a hint of blue, hence adding blueing to a load of white laundry. It makes it look cleaner. So use a super-pale blue or blue violet. bright-B000, muted-BV20, or B40. I'm using a B21 on the final picture since a B000 is a little bright.

Natural white, like a white wool is actually warmer. If I were working with an antique palette, I'd choose a really pale E40 or W0/W1

Sunny bright things would have a trace of yellow. Y000

Cool, neutral blue could use a pale gray. C0/C1 or N0/N1

Watery looking things would get a hint of green, so BG10, BG000

Rosy, blushy glow, R000 or RV000

Or, basically any color that ends in a 0 can be used to achieve some kind of pale tone, so test yours to see what colors work for you and with your other accents. IMO, Blue or blue gray with a hint of violet will still be your best choice for a clean white dress.

2. How do I color it?Ah, now this is the part that makes it look white. Don't color in the whole picture with whatever pale color you chose, since it will not be white anymore. Color only the shadows and edges. Pick a spot for your sun to be shining (I'll explain this better someday), and add your shadows heavier opposite that spot. For these examples, I am having the sun shining from the front, so she'll be slightly more shadowed on the back.

Color only the edges and use the blender to fade to white. It's that easy (it's sounds easy, right?) The complicated part gets an advanced tag-

Transparent-Same thing, color only the edges and fade to white. The tricky part is showing things that are under the transparent layer. Her dress and hair are partially covered by a veil. What do we do now?

In this picture the lines suggest what to do:1. Color the transparent layer with a faint edge of the tone you want. Fade this into white with the colorless blender. I chose BG10 because it has a different feel than the under layer so you can keep the parts distinct in the tutorial. Normally I would choose a blue that would match the dress better.

2. Things under the transparent layer appear one or two shades LIGHTER than they would otherwise. So, whatever color you color the hair or dress, make it even lighter under the veil or train.

3. Don't color all the way to the edge on the under layer- leave some white between it and the over-layer. This really adds to the transparent look. See how I didn't draw the line all the way to the edge? This gives you a visual clue about how see-through it is. I am only going to color where the line is.

4. The transparent layer under the transparent layer will also be colored a shade lighter. Huh? Read it again, slower and it will make sense. Where you see the back of the veil make it lighter than the front edge.

5. The last thing is to add your ground shadows. Areas under the dress are completely shadowed, but she is walking across a white background, so choose a shadow color that ends in 1 or 2. The shadow under her flowing train will be one shade lighter than under her dress because more light is getting through. fade these out with the blender to show how diaphanous the edges are.

Bonus: For some extra bling color edges with the clear Spica Glitter pen. It doesn't show up on camera, but that just adds the final subtle, glimmery touch.

I know it's tricky, but it looks cool when it's done. Again, I chose very different feeling transparent colors so you could get a better idea of how the dress looks underneath. Keep in mind that these colors are super-hard to pick up either from my camera or from the scanner, so don't trust the screen colors entirely, they are just to give you an idea. Sadly, a lot of the subtle colors are washed out. Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Ink: Photocopy

18 comments:

This is the best tutorial ever. I am addicted to your blog now. Beautiful example!. Thank you for this, I am reaching my copic markers more and more... the bad part (for my wallet) I want another set now.

You are amazing! What a fantastic tutorial. I am interested in your teaser regarding picking a place for the sun and shading your image based on that. :) Although I only have 1 Copic (which I'm pretty sure is a crime), this could apply to any kind of coloring (i.e. Copics, watercolors, pencils, etc.). I have such a tough time with this! Thanks for all of your tutorials...I think you're da bomb! :)

This was a very helpful tutorial. I remember drawing a picture a few years ago where a girl had sheer sleeves, but I was using Prismacolor pens which can't fade out like Copics too with the blender, and I had no idea what to do. It was very frustrating and I ended up trying (and failing) to make the effect with just a black pen. This will be very useful in the future! Thank you! ^_^v

About Me

I am the North American Product Director for Copic Markers, working at Imagination International, Inc. I have written 4 books on coloring with Copics in conjunction with Colleen Schaan. I used to design stamps for Our Craft Lounge. The things I post on this blog are my personal opinions or techniques I have come across over the years- I will try to give credit where credit is due. These ramblings do not necessarily reflect the general opinions of Copic Markers/Imagination International Inc.
my direct e-mail is marianne@copicmarker.com

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Copic Glossary

ABS/Airbrush System- Copic Airbrush System. Works with either a compressor or Copic aircans. Uses either Sketch or Copic Markers. 1234TroubleshootingAlcohol Markers- Copic markers are alcohol (ethanol) based dye markers, that are known for being low-odor and giving smooth, vibrant colors. Since they are a dye, they will fade in bright lights, but they are acid free on most surfaces. Anything with alcohol in it will react with these inks. Any Copic marker type is refillable with replaceable tips. They will not cause paper to pill when going over it many times, nor will they dissolve photocopies.

Color Saturation- This is the first digit on a color name. Colors that are 00's, 10's, or 20's will be more vibrant (B05, G16, R29), while colors that are in the 70's, 80's or 90's have more gray added (B95, BG78, G94) and are closer to the neutral/earthy end of the color spectrum. Note: E (Earth) markers don't necessarily follow this rule.

Color Group- A sequential group of colors within one color family with the same first digit (i.e. E30, E31, E33, E34, E35, E37, E39) where numbers ending in 0 are the lightest and 9 is the darkest, also called Natural Blending Group

Copic Certification- These are classes for teachers, store owners, or designers who want to learn techniques and advanced tips on using Copic markers, Airbrushing, etc. for papercrafting. Each class is about 7 hrs, and will be held regionally. Check here for listings of upcoming classes.

Spica Glitter Pens - also called atyou Spica pens. These fun, pigment based pens are filled with micro glass flakes, giving a very subtle, elegant sparkle. Keep stored flat, though if they are giving you troubles, try storing them point down overnite.

Various Ink- Also called Refill Ink or Re-inkers. Each bottle holds 25 cc's of ink. 322 colors available, empty bottle for mixing custom colors also available. Great for making alcohol ink effects, such as Faux Stone or covering large areas. When you see streaking in your work it's time to refill. You can refill directly from your bottle of ink, or you can use a booster needle. Try not to overfill.For refilling dry markers:Ciao- add 1 to 1.5 cc's ink Sketch- 2 cc's Copic 2-3 cc's Wide 3-4 cc's

Using this site for Classes

The content from each post is intended as tutorials and directions as well as useful information. If you would like to use these tutorials in a workshop you are more than welcome to, just give credit to this blog site and other suppliers mentioned in each post.

Thank You!

Marianne

Color Disclaimer

Colors on the screen do not match colors printed in color charts, and neither will match the marker colors in real life. To get a feel of what the colors will look like it's best if you get an actual color swatch.

To request a printed color chart, general catalog, Stamping with Copic Brochure, or Airbrushing with Copic Brochure you can e-mail orders@copicmarker.com (remember, printed charts aren't accurate)

Save a tree, get it digital!For digital copies of the above brochures please look through the Copic Library. Don't see what you need? e-mail me at marianne@copicmarker.com

Check the library also for refilling guides, airbrushing set-ups, and other useful literature.

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Books by Marianne Walker

These books are stand alone guides for anyone who wants to learn more tricks for coloring with their markers. All images to color are in the back of the book, along with color charts and guides. Each book is printed in English and Español SRP $9.95

Shadows & Shading: A beginner's guide to lighting placementThis book is for teaching you where to accurately put shadows and highlights when coloring with any medium. Includes clear lighting guides to help you plan where to place your shadows & highlights. Distributed by Copic/Imagination International, Inc.